The Delhi High Court on Thursday granted interim relief to the two children of late industrialist Sunjay Kapur from his previous marriage to Bollywood actor Karisma Kapoor, restraining his widow Priya Kapur from dissipating or creating third-party rights over key portions of his estate pending adjudication of a family inheritance dispute.
A single-judge Bench of Justice Jyoti Singh held that the estate of the deceased must be preserved during the pendency of the suit, observing that suspicious circumstances surrounding the purported will had been raised by the plaintiffs — Samaira Kapur and Kiaan Kapur — as well as Sunjay Kapur’s mother, Rani Kapur.
The Delhi High Court said that the onus to dispel those suspicions lies on Priya Kapur, while clarifying that the question of the will’s genuineness and validity would ultimately be determined during trial.
Holding that a prima facie case had been made out in favour of the plaintiffs, Justice Singh restrained Priya Kapur from alienating, transferring, pledging, or altering the equity and shareholding structure in Sunjay Kapur’s Indian companies.
The judge also barred her from withdrawing provident fund amounts, disposing of personal effects, artworks, or cryptocurrencies linked to the deceased’s estate.
Further, the Delhi High Court prohibited withdrawals from specified Indian bank accounts, except to the extent necessary for discharging liabilities towards the children arising from the divorce settlement between Sunjay Kapur and Karisma Kapoor. It also ordered restrictions on the operation of certain foreign bank accounts and crypto holdings connected to the deceased, while clarifying that it lacked jurisdiction over immovable foreign assets and therefore issued no directions in respect of such properties. (IANS)
